Michelin sparse with stars!

28 November 2007

BRUSSELS – Belgium still has two three-star restaurants and nine two-star restaurants. 78 restaurants have one star. The new Michelin Guide will be available from Thursday.

‘t Zilte restaurant in Mol (province of Antwerp) moves from one star to two, but ‘t Oud Konijntje in East Flanders loses one of its two stars. De Karmeliet in Bruges and Hof Van Cleve in Kruishoutem (West Flanders) are still the only two Belgian restaurants with three Michelin stars.

Comme Chez Soi in Brussels, which lost its third star last year, again has to content itself with only two stars, despite efforts to recapture that elusive third one.

Belgium has 78 restaurants with one star. The Belgian hit parade

3 stars:

De Karmeliet (Bruges)
Hof van Cleve (Kruishoutem)

2 stars:

Sea Grill (Brussels)
Comme Chez Soi (Brussels)
Bruneau (Brussels)
Hostellerie St-Nicolas (Ieper)
‘t Zilte (Mol)
Hostellerie Le Fox (De Panne)
Pastorale (Reet)
Clos St-Denis (Tongeren)
‘t Molentje (Zeebrugge)

Michelin Guide is 108 years old

The Michelin restaurant guides are probably the most recognised and influential culinary ratings in Western Europe.

The guide awards one to three stars to a small number of restaurants of outstanding quality. Stars are awarded sparingly. Generally one star stands for “a very good restaurant in its category”, two stars for “excellent cooking, worth a detour”, and three stars “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”.

The first edition of the guide was published by André Michelin in France in19O0. The original idea was to help drivers maintain their cars, find decent lodging, and eat well while touring. It included addresses of things like gasoline distributors, garages, tire stockists, and public toilets. The guide was distributed free until 1920.

Now there are guides about countries and regions on 3 different continents.

Subject: Belgian news